This blog provides delicious,traditional, vegetarian, South Indian Recipes from my mother Chitra Amma's kitchen. There are few 'world recipes' as well!
Thanks to Shravan, Pranav, Akash, Tara, Guggs, Shankari, Adu, Dhrithi, and Appa Ramachandran for the photos!

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Friday, December 8, 2017

Nellikkai / Amla tree is one of the sacred trees of India. Lord Krishna is said to reside in the Amla/Gooseberry tree. Gooseberry is also known as Dhatri. A special Pooja known as Dhatri Pooja is performed during the month of Kartika ( Mid November - Mid December) under the Dhatri Tree (Gooseberry Tree), and a community feast - Vana Bhojana meaning feast in a forest - is served under the tree. It is considered auspicious to light lamps using gooseberries during this month. Gooseberries have been part of our Saativk diet since ancient times. It was believed that it promoted overall good health and prevented aging. Researches have proved that the benefits attributed to the divine Berry to be true. Gooseberry removes toxins from the blood and helps in improving anemic conditions. It is rich in Vitamin C which is an important nutrient to boost immunity. It activates the digestive juices thus helping to maintain a healthy digestive system.The high level of antioxidants found in the berry prevents premature aging. In Ayurveda Gooseberries are used in the preparation of various health tonics. It is said that the anti inflammatory properties of the wonder berry help in healing mouth ulcers, joint pains and swellings. During the season Gooseberries are pickled or sun dried and preserved for future use. Lip smacking Chutney, Pachadi, Gojju and Chitranna are prepared using fresh berries during the season.

NELLIKKAI CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS

Gooseberries/Nellikkai - 300 gms (About 16 numbers)

Green chillies - 6

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Sesame oil - 2 tbsps

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Dry roasted and ground Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

METHOD

1. Wash the Nellikkais thoroughly and steam cook for 15 minutes in a pressure cooker or in any other steamer.

2. The segments of the berries will fall apart when steamed and the seeds can be removed easily.

3. Once the berries have cooled down grind them together with green chillies, turmeric powder, salt and asafoetida into a slightly coarse paste.

Monday, December 4, 2017

All set to celebrate Kartigai Deepam with Vella Pori and Appam. Since children crave for a savoury snack after indulging in sweet Pori and sweet Appams a savoury version of Appam is also prepared soon after the Prasadams are ready.

GODUMAI VELLA APPAM

INGREDIENTS

Wheat flour - 1 glass

Rice flour - 2 tbsps glass

Ripe banana - 1(Mashed)

Powdered jaggery - 1/2 glass (Dissolved in 1/2 a glass of warm water and filtered)

Powdered cardamom - 1 pinch

Oil for frying

METHOD

1. Mix the flours, mashed banana and cardamom powder together.

2. Add the jaggery water (I used Palm jaggey) little by little and blend it into a batter.

3. Add more water if necessary to make a thick and smooth batter of pouring consistency.

4. Pour oil into all the pits of a appam making vessel known as Appa Kuzhi.

5. Heat the oil and pour one scoop of batter in each kuzhi/pit.

6. When the Appams start turning reddish brown in colour they will start floating.

7. Flip them into the oil pits using a spoon and cook for two more minutes.

8. Remove one by one and drain them on a kitchen towel when done.

Offer them to the Lord along with Kartigai Pori and share the Prasadam with your dear ones.

GODUMAI KARA APPAM

INGREDIENTS

Wheat flour - 1 glass

Rice flour - 2 tbsps

Curds - 1/4 cup

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Chopped green chillies - 1 tsp

Chopped ginger - 1 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tsps

Minced fresh coconut - 2 tbsps

Minced carrots - 2 tbsps

Minced onions - 2 tbsps (Optional)

METHOD

1. Mix all the ingredients into a smooth and thick batter adding the required amount of water.

2. I also added two table spoons of M.T.R. Instant Rava Idly Mix which gave a nice texture to the Appam.

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Pavakkai / Karela / Bitter gourd has been one of our family favourites even before articles about its health benefits had started hitting the head lines. We relish Pavakkai in various dishes like Pitlai,Theeyal, Varuval, Sambar and Porial. I was utterly excited when our green grocer supplied us with fresh Midhi Pavakkai or Baby bitter gourds on the other day. Midhi Pavakkai becomes a delicacy when stuffed with spicy masala. It is so irresistible that my sister-in-law picked up a Masala Stuffed Midhi Pavakkai and eagerly stuffed it into her mouth before the serving dish could even reach the dining table!

INGREDIENTS

Baby bitter gourds/ Midhi Pavakkai/ Baby karelas - 8

Sesame oil - 3 to 4 tbsps

Coriander seeds - 2 tbsps

Bengal gram dal - 2 tsps

Black gram dal - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 6

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Tamarind - a small ball the size of a marble,(soaked)

Powdered jaggery - 1/2 tsp

Onion - 1 big (Chopped)

Salt - 1 tsp

METHOD

1. Wash the Midhi Pavakkais thoroughly and snip off the stem.

2. Slit lengthwise using a sharp knife keeping both ends in tact.

3. Hold the Pavakkai in between your thumb and forefinger and apply pressure so that the slit opens up.

4. Scoop out the seeds and steam the Pavakkais in the pressure cooker for 15 minutes and set aside.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Deepavali is not only a festival of lights but also a festival of sweets! This is the time when even the dieters set aside their routine and indulge in the numerous sweets loaded with sugar, flour and ghee! Savouring a simple breakfast consisting of steamed dishes before binging on the festive sweets and savoury snacks helps to keep the digestive system less taxed and in good condition. Idiyaapam is an easily digestible steamed dish and here is an easy method to make the festive breakfast dish for Deepavali.

INGREDIENTS

Rice flour (store bought rice flour) - 1 tall glass

Salt - 1 pinch

Sesame oil - 1 tbsp

METHOD

1. Boil 1 1/2 tall glasses of water adding salt and sesame oil.

2. When the water starts to boil decrease flame, add the rice flour stirring all the time to avoid lumps.

3. Keep stirring till the dough comes together in a mass.

4. Switch off flame and cover it with a lid.

5. When it cools down to a comfortable temperature knead the dough thoroughly.

6. Shape a handful of dough into cylindrical roll. Make more rolls using up the entire dough.

7. Press the dough roll using a chakli press on to the greased idly plates making a circular movement of the hand.

8. When the pressed Idiyaapams are ready steam them for 15 minutes in a pressure cooker.

Monday, September 25, 2017

The first dish to be served on auspicious occasions in a Banana Leaf Meal / Bale Yele Oota/ Vazhai Elai Virundhu is Bele Payasa or Paruppu Payasam (Lentil Porridge). Even when the menu comprises of other exotic sweets a Yele Kone Payasa is a must in traditional feasts. Kadale Bele Payasa /Kadalai Paruppu Payasam prepared using split Bengal gram is a flavoursome festive Payasa/Payasam which can also be relished hot or cold as a dessert after a full meal. This delicious lentil pudding is served on the right hand corner of the bottom half of the banana leaf. Hence it is known as Yele Kone Payasa (roughly translates to leaf corner Porridge). At the start of the meal the thick porridgy Payasa/Payasam is swiped off the leaf using four fingers excepting the thumb and then relished by licking it off the fingers, virtually making it a finger licking dish!

INGREDIENTS

Split Bengal gram dal - 1 cup

Powdered jaggery - 1 cup

Fresh coconut gratings - 2 cups

Rice flour - 1 tsp

Cardamom (2 numbers) and edible camphor(the size of a pin head) powdered together

Cashew nuts/almonds and raisins - 2 tbsps

Ghee - 1 tbsp

METHOD

1. Pressure cook Bengal gram dal adding two cups of water until three whistles.

Friday, September 15, 2017

GONGURA SADAM
Gongura season (Pulicha keerai in Tamil/ Pundi soppu in Kannada) is here! The only dish I prepare during every Gongura season is Gongura Tokku! My house help Gowri not only buys Gongura for me during the season but also gives me simple instructions on how to cook it. I tried out this simple masial/kadaisal recipe of hers which we relished. Gongura Sadam prepared using the masial was also a big hit!

INGREDIENTS

Gongura - 2 big bundles

Onion - 1 big (Chopped)

Garlic - 12 cloves (Peeled)

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 1 1/2 tsps

Red chillies - 8 (Broken)

Sesame oil - 1/4 cup

METHOD

1. Separate the gongura leaves from the stalk and thoroughly wash three or four times.

2. Drain the leaves and spread them out on a kitchen towel.

3. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds.

4. When the mustard seeds splutter add the chopped onion and garlic, and fry till they turn golden in colour.

5. Add the red chillies and saute for a couple of minutes.

6. Add the gongura leaves a handful at a time and keep sauteing.

7. Add more leaves as the previous batch wilts and sinks into the kadai.

8. Keep stirring and mashing the leaves using the back of a ladle.

9. When the leaves come together into a mass stir in salt and switch off flame after it blends well with the masial.

10. Allow to cool and grind half of the mixture in a blender, pour it back into the remaining masial and mix well.

Enjoy the Gongura Masial / Kadaisal with steaming hot rice or relish it as a side dish with dosa, chapati, ragi rotti or jolada rotti.

TO MAKE GONGURA SADAM

1. Take a cup of cooked rice and break the lumps.

2. Add one spoon of sesame oil or ghee and coat the rice so that they do not clump together.

3. Add one table spoon or more of the Gongura masial / Kadaisal depending on your taste and mix gently till the rice is evenly coated with the masial.

4. Enjoy the spicy and tangy Gongura Rice with any cool raita of your choice.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

A few decades ago my mother-in-law used to obtain Hituku bele from Avare Kaalu (Field Beans) by first soaking the beans for at least six hours. The soaked kaalus (beans) were patiently pinched and squeezed one at a time so that the Hituku bele literally jumped out of its skin! You can very well imagine the number of hours she put in to give a decent serving of the Hituku Bele delicacy she would patiently prepare for every member of our large family! Thanks to HOPCOMS, nowadays ready to use Hituku Bele is easily available during the season.

I had tasted Hituku Bele Payasa for the first time at the Avarekai Mela a few years ago. Since then I have been planning to try it out at home and some how it was getting postponed. I tried out Hituku Bele Payasa today for the first time and it turned out delicious.

INGREDIENTS

Hituku Bele/ Deskinned fresh field beans - 1 cup

Milk - 2 1/2 cups

Fresh coconut gratings - 2 tbsps

Powdered jaggery - 4 tbsps

Powdered cardamom - 1 pinch

METHOD

1. Wash and cook Hituku Bele in two cups of milk till it is done and remove two table spoons of the cooked bele and set aside for garnishing.

Saturday, September 9, 2017

We have celebrated festivals back to back through out the month of August. Now it is time to rest our system for a while and get ready to handle the next set of festivals starting from Navaratri. Owing to continuous indulgence in festive food we tend to lose appetite. The specific ingredients used in the preparation of Milagu Kuzhambu induce hunger, alleviate biliousness, activate the taste buds and help in good digestion. Normally Milagu Kuzhambu is served in a small quantity as a digestive relish similar to other relishes or chutneys along with a meal. One morsel of rice with this kuzhambu at the beginning of a meal is sufficient to give one a detoxed feeling. Instead of Sambar, Milagu Kuzhambu can be served with rice topped with ghee or sesame oil as the main course in a full meal when vegetables are added to it. Here I have added Knol Khol to this recipe. Incidentally Knol Khol is high in anti oxidant and is also useful in relieving indigestion.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Beetroot was taboo in our kitchen during our childhood days. May be the bright red colour put off the elders who cooked for the family. Now a days I use beetroot to prepare Porial/Thoran, Halwa, Salad (kosumalli), Thair Pachadi, Cutlets and even Adais! I still have a mind block when it comes to preparing Beetroot and Green gram dal Koottu which is my sister-in-law's favourute. I instantaneously fell for the Beetroot and Black Chana/Kadalai curry that I relished at a restaurant and now it has become one of the regular menu items at home.

INGREDIENTS

Beetroot - 2 big ones

Black Chick Peas / Kadalai /Black Chana - 1cup ( soak overnight)

Salt - 1 tsp

Sesame oil or Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Black gram dal - 1 tsp

Red chillies (broken) - 2

Curry leaves - a few

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Finely chopped onion - 2 tbsps

Fresh grated coconut - 4 tbsps

METHOD

1. Drain the soaked Black Chick Peas/Kadalai, sprinkle a handful of fresh water and keep it in a separator in the pressure cooker.

2. Thoroughly wash and cut the Beetroots into half and place them in another separator, and set it on top of the previous separator with Kadalai.

3. Pressure cook until three whistles, switch off flame and allow it to cool.

4. Peel the pressure cooked Beets and chop them into small cubes.

5. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds.

6. When the mustard seeds splutter add black gram dal and fry till it turns into a golden colour.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Whenever there is a lunch party at home I love to serve hot and spicy Bisibele Bath as the main dish. Tahir Vadai is another special dish - especially during Summer - which goes very well with the spicy Bisibele Bath. Today being a cold and rainy day I decided to substitute the cold Thair Vadais with a warm and spicy Morkuzhambu Bonda for our special guests who turned up for lunch. We could only get the picture of the finished dish as the guests were expected any moment!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BONDAS

Black gram dal - 1 cup

Fresh ginger - 1 inch piece

Salt - 1 pinch

Oil - for frying

Thin butter milk with one pinch of salt for soaking

TO PREPARE THE BONDAS

1. Soak the black gram dal for an hour.

2. Drain, and grind with ginger and salt adding water little by little into a thick, smooth and fluffy batter.

3. Keep the thin butter milk ready.

4. Heat oil in a kadai.

5. Beat the batter well and drop a small scoop of batter into the hot oil and fry till it turns golden brown in colour. A batch of 4 or 5 Bondas can be fried at a time.

6. Drain the Bondas well and immediately immerse them in the salted butter milk.

7. Remove the soaked Bondas into a bowl before immersing the second batch.

INGREDIENTS AND

METHOD TO PREPARE MORKUZHAMBU

Bengal gram dal - 1 tbsp

Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1 pinch

Mustard seeds - 1 pinch

1.(Soak all the above ingredients for at least half an hour till the dal becomes soft.)

Green chillies - 3

Fresh coconut gratings - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Rice flour - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

2.(Grind all the ingredients along with the soaked ingredients into a smooth paste and keep aside.)

Curds - 2 cups

3. Blend all the ground ingredients with curds.

FOR SEASONING

Sesame oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1 pinch

Broken Red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - a few

4. Heat oil in a seasoning ladle and add mustard seeds.

5. When the mustard seeds splutter add fenugreek seeds and fry till they are golden brown.

6.Add the broken red chillies and fry till they are crisp.

7. Finally add the curry leaves and pour the seasoning into the curd mixture.

8. Cook the mixture till it starts foaming and switch off flame.

TO FINISH THE DISH

9. Pour the hot Morkuzhambu over the soaked Bondas and garnish with coriander leaves.

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

The city is geared up to celebrate Ganesha Chaturti in full swing! Every home is busy preparing sweets and savouries to be offered to the Divine Charmer - Ganesha. Every year the Maha Ganapathi Temple at Malleswaram, Bangalore celebrates a ten day festival for Lord Ganesha during Ganesha Chaturti. Every day Ganesha is decked up in different alankaras. Decorations using fruits, dry fruits and vegetables are a grand feast for the eyes. Garlands strung with Vades, Kodubales, Chakkulis, Kajjayas and Karida Kadubu which adorn the Lord during pooja is later distributed to the devotees as prasadam.

Saturday, August 19, 2017

That was the time in my life when I was totally engrossed in books regarding Mahatma Gandhi's life and the freedom movement of India. I often shared few mini Gandhi Thata stories with my two year old talkative daughter. After the story session I made it a point to make her answer a few questions to test her comprehension. When she was posed with a question as to what Gandhi Thata ate, pat came the reply: "Kadlekai!" "Aattu Paal (goat's milk)!" she reverted with great enthusiasm even before I could finish my next question regarding his drink! She had to repeat her performance many times when the circle of audience started growing! Kadlekai/Peanuts was my little tot's favourite snack especially when it was made into undes. Roasted or boiled Kadlekai/Peanuts (also known as Badavara Badami, meaning poor man's almonds) are nutritious snacks by themselves. It is also savoured in Sambars, Sundals and chutneys. Starting from Super Markets, the local grocery stores to the small Petti Angadis (Miscellaneous shops) the ubiquitous Kadlekai Unde (Peanut Laddus) are sold everywhere.

Kadlekai Unde is a healthy sweet which can be savoured as a snack or as a dessert or even in between meals!

INGREDIENTS

Peanuts/Kadlekai - 1 glass

Powdered jaggery - 1 glass

METHOD

1. Roast the peanuts in a heavy bottomed kadai on medium flame till the skins are loosened.

2. Allow to cool and rub the nuts in between your palms to separate the husk.

3. Clean the peanuts and break them into chunks using a mixer.

4. Dissolve jaggery in one cup of warm water and filter.

5. Boil the filtered jaggery water in a thick bottomed kadai till it becomes thick and sticky.

(Drop little of the syrup in cold water. If the drop does not disintegrate, and if you are able to roll it into a ball using your thumb and forefinger the syrup is ready.)

6. Switch off flame and blend the prepared kadlekai/ peanuts into the syrup.

7. When it cools down a little and is comfortable to touch, it is ready to be shaped into undes/balls.

8. Grease your palms, scoop out a small portion of the mixture and shape it into an unde/ball.

9. Similarly shape more undes/balls using up the entire mixture. Place them apart till they are thoroughly cooled so that they do not stick together

10. The mixture might harden and lose stickiness towards the end. In that case heat the remaining mixture on low flame till the jaggery starts melting. Switch off flame and then shape the remaining undes/balls.

Allow the Kadlekai Undes / Peanut Balls to cool and then store them in a clean dry jar.

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Hello

Welcome to Chitra Amma's Kitchen.

I am Dibs. I am a born Foodie. I love to cook; love to eat; love to feed folks who appreciate good food. Blogging provides me a great way of documenting my mother, Chitra’s recipes, as a ready reference irrespective which time zone I live in. Amma honestly makes the best food I've ever had, and somehow, the anecdotes she tells us, make the dishes taste all the better.Most posts here are written by my mother Chitra. It’s her recipes, along with related reminiscences of people, places and anecdotes. She writes, I post!What started for a lark, has now become a serious hobby, drawing in participation from the whole family. My father, S.R. Ramachandran has started clicking away every dish made at home! Aunts, cousins, siblings, contribute to photos, and ask for recipes.We try to illustrate implements such as utensils, grinding stones and so on from the ‘pre-electric-mixer’ days wherever possible. We hope this will make an interesting read for future generations, on how food was cooked in earlier times!The site is still in its infancy, and slowly evolving, as our skills improve! We invite your comments, ideas, and questions, and will attempt answering them.

Thank you for your visit, and we hope you enjoy your stay at Chitra Amma’s Kitchen.